American Centuries

Pocumtuck Valley
Memorial Association

American Centuries > Lessons > History Lessons By Teachers > An Investigation of Tools: A Historical Perspective

An Investigation of Tools: A Historical Perspective

Details

Author
Benjamin Rubin
Topic/Subject Area
Home Life, Household Items, Furniture; Science, Technology; Industry, Occupation, Work; Agriculture, Farming
Historical Era
Early Indigenous and European contact, 1565–1619, Colonial settlement, 1620–1762, Revolutionary America, 1763–1783, The New Nation, 1784–1815, National Expansion and Reform, 1816–1860, Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861–1877, Rise of Industrial America, 1878–1899, Progressive Era, World War I, 1900–1928, Great Depression and World War II, 1929–1945, Counterculture, Civil Rights, and Cold War, 1946–1989, New Millennium, 1990–Present
Grade Level
Elementary (K–5)
Creation Date
2009
Last Revision Date
2024

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About This Lesson

Summary and Objective

Students will understand that people used more primitive tools in the past. Students will understand that materials used to create everyday tools were often times found locally, and tools were frequently made by the owner or someone he knew rather than a factory far away.

Materials & Resources

From the Collection:

Teaching Plan

  1. Students will congregate at their desks and respond to a question written on the board. “What would you do if it were time to work in the garden, but your tools were locked in the garage and you couldn’t get in?” After several responses, the teacher will ask, “What did tools look like long ago?” “How were they made when we didn’t have large machines and factories to build them?”
  2. Students will create quick illustrations of what they believe a tool from long ago might look like. They can share their pictures and describe what their tool was used for.
  3. After student sharing, begin to look at photos of tools from the online collection (See Materials & Resources section). Ask students what the tool was used for and how they differ from tools they see today.
  4. If possible take a nature walk and let the children materials they might use to make their own tools. If that is not possible, bring a collection of wood and stones of all shapes and sizes to use in the development of student tools. To enrich the home school connection, students and families could be encouraged to send in artifacts from around the house to use in tool building. Take a nature walk and have each student collect one item that might be used to construct a tool.
  5. Students will break up in groups of three and proceed in constructing a tool to be used in our class garden. String and other craft items should be made available. Teachers should provide suggestions for specific tools that students could attempt to build. Hammers, shovels, and rakes could be among the easiest to construct.
  6. Students can try out their tools in the class garden or any outdoor space your school may have.